Helmut Marko, motorsport adviser to Red Bull F1, has suggested that there was little point in Max Verstappen’s pursuit of the fastest lap at the Saudi Grand Prix. At the end of the F1 Saudi Grand Prix, Verstappen asked for information about the fastest lap on the team radio.
The team told Verstappen not to think about it, but on the last lap Verstappen set the fastest lap and took a point from team-mate Sergio Perez. “A typical Max sets the fastest time of the race on the last lap. He was out of control. That’s Max,” Helmut Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “They were always asking who had the fastest lap. Max waited until the last lap to stop Perez from matching. Max waited until the last lap to stop Perez from matching. It was him. For us, he meaning leading in the world championship.” “We are very happy with the race.” However, Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner said Perez was aiming for the final fastest lap himself but withdrew after failing to recover. “This is the last lap, so I think we’ve come to the conclusion that if we’re going, we’re going,” said Horner. “I think he (Verstappen) himself had already come to that conclusion. Both drivers had the information and the Czech had the fastest lap at the time. He asked what it was. “He knew that Max is going to crack. Czech quit in He was already 1.5 seconds behind and then withdrew Verstappen started the race from 15th on the grid after suffering a driveshaft failure in Q2 on Saturday, but moved up again in the race to finish second. “I had already assumed that I would be on the podium,” added Helmut Marko. “But he was struggling with the vibration again and it was still a bit of a squeeze.”
